The week ahead...

Friday 17 June 2011 07:02 BST

Next week's city schedule, trading results, announcements and gossip from the city, selected by Deputy Business Editor, Jim Armitage.

Monday 20 June

European markets will wake up to whatever latest crisis erupts in Greece over the weekend. A big meeting of Eurozone finance ministers on Sunday about the enormous problems in Athens, and the contagion risk into other countries' banks, is likely to drag on into Monday. They are trying to achieve the impossible - set loan rates for Greece that it can afford but which will not harm lenders too much. Markets are desperately looking for some kind of a roadmap to a bailout by the end of the week.

Tuesday 21 June

Greece again: Prime minister Papandreou has failed to form a unity government and has a vote of confidence due by the end of play today. Still, even if he wins, that's no guarantee he'll be able to drive through the budget cuts needed. Without further austerity measures, Greece will get no bailout.

7am: Whitbread trading statement will give us an update on how the Premier Travel Inn and Costa Coffee chains are doing. They're probably going to be pretty strong and the shares have been gaining in the run up to the figures. Both the budget hotels and coffee franchises have been expanding like crazy.

9.30: Public finances figures will trigger the usual political knockabout. Net borrowing in the public sector is expected to have increased from April's £10 billion to £17 billion in May.

Wednesday 22 June

7am: Prepare for the next installment of the horrific decline of HMV. Having offloaded Waterstones and renegotiated its debt facilities, HMV has had a stay of execution. But current trading is running about 15% behind a year ago and customers are still migrating to online alternatives. Not much can be done to stem that tide.

9.30am: Minutes from the Bank of England's interest rates meeting at the start of the month will show how the committee weighed the continuing poor data on the economic recovery with rising inflation. Mervyn King's Mansion House pronouncements this week indicated he was in no mood to change policy.

5.30pm: US interest rates decision. The Fed will keep rates at 0.25% but this is one of the meetings where Ben Bernanke gives a press conference. Many voices calling for an end to the loose monetary and fiscal policy in the US but Bernanke is likely to stick to his guns given the weakness in the US economy. However, he'll probably make it clear that the Fed is not considering more quantitative easing yet.

Thursday 23 June

7am: Defence contractor Chemring has half year figures which will offer good commentary on the world of weopons procurement at a time of cutbacks in the US and the UK.

7am: Dixons has full year profit figures. All the signs seem to be that there will be no let up from the sliding sales of big ticket item retailers like Comet, Dixons and the DIY chains.

7am: Trains and buses group GoAhead has a trading statement. The company has been winning fans in the City lately after saying last month that its full-year operating profits would beat City forecasts. Expect to see big benefits to the company from hiking fares and boosting traffic volumes.

Friday 24 June

Time TBC: Financial Policy Committee minutes and Financial Stability Report will be intriguing for any insights into how the committee views the potential contagion risk of the Club Med nations' economic crisis on the wider banking system.

7am: Berkeley Group, which is putting up flats all over London, has its full year profits announcement. Expect further pronouncements on how London speculative developments are awash with foreign investors' cash.